Vice Admiral MS Pawar, Chief of Staff (COS) of Eastern Naval Command and his wife Smt Meena Pawar, Regional President of Naval Wives Welfare Association (NWWA), were the guests of honour at the Launching Ceremony of the 1000 ton fuel barge being built for Indian Navy by M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd. The ship was launched by Smt Meena Pawar in accordance with the naval traditions on May 17, 2018. The ship slid sideways down the ramp when the button was pressed by her, and landed with a massive splash into the Hooghly river, drawing a thunderous applause from all the workers and staff of the company and the guests. A host of dignitaries from the Govt of West Bengal and senior naval officers from Naval HQ were present on the occasion. This is the first of the two ships being built by M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd, the second one being launched in about seven weeks.

The ship will be formally handed over to Indian Navy at Mumbai by September 2018, to be followed by the second one three months thereafter. This 68 mtr long ship has a displacement of 2000 tons and is vital for enhancing naval operations at sea by replenishing strategic assets like the aircraft carrier in the anchorage. It is designed to carry large volumes of High Speed Diesel, Aviation fuel, fresh water and other oils for warships in harbour and anchored off the shore. With a maximum speed of 12 knots, this ship is capable of sustaining at sea for seven days.

Ealier in the day, the Vice Admiral visited GRSE and met CMD Rear Admiral VK Saxena to get briefed on the various naval warships under production, future projects on order and discussed other issues of mutual interest.